Nightmare
by IZZY-CHAN13
Summary: Prelude to the "Candy-Coated Heart of Darkness" Vanillatastic comic. As the title suggests, Vanellope has just woken up from a nightmare. (Originally published on deviantART in February 2014)


This usually didn't happen.

The king poked his head through the carefully opened door before letting himself in. He saw a silhouette of the girl shaking, trembling.

Her arms acted on her as if in self-embrace, self-assurance that everything was going to be okay.

 _Just a nightmare. It would never happen._

Admittedly, this notorious racer did check up on her sleeping soundly as many nights as he could.

It was the only chance he had to express affection without being suspected of anything or being ridiculed and criticized for it. The affection being the simple ruffle of her candy-coated hair and perhaps a light caress on the cheek. If feeling daring, a kiss on her rosy complexion or forehead was immediately satisfying.

But now Turbo just stared in the moonlight, perplexed at the foreign sounds rising up in Vanellope's throat. Hiccups trying to hold down sniffs and sobs, and a small groan embarrassed of it.

She never turned around as she was oblivious to "her majesty's" outings from his bedroom just down the hall.

King Candy decided to give himself away with a short clearing of his throat. The shoulders of the girl jutted upward; the trembling stopped.

Stark silence.

She knew who it was. The only person who offered to take her in—she being nothing but the infamous glitch in the Sugar Rush Kingdom.

Vanellope's shoulders drooped but she kept her arms crossed and didn't bother to turn around or speak. She gazed at her lap hoping the eye's exposure to the air would dry the welling liquid.

Five minutes of solitude passed before the weight of the bed shifted; the king perched himself up on the mattress with nothing but questions on his mind. Hesitant in laying his hand on her bared shoulder,

"Vanellope."

Turbo startled himself with how softly that came out of his mouth, and hoped that the girl wouldn't analyze the tone for too long. The reaction was subtle; her left hand rose on her right arm as she controlled a quivering of her bottom lip.

"There's something wrong. Tell me."

 _Not used to seeing her so pitiable._

".. Just a nightmare; that's all."

 _Enough to make you cry?_

A bit of resistance was expressed when the king made Vanellope face him, cradling her chin, "I'm thorry about that dear."

A tiny gulp.

"You should resth again though; it'll be forgotten later in the morning."

A trickling of unwanted tears down her face caught them both off guard. King Candy pursed his lips as he mentally battled the urge to reassure what he just said with a kiss. He couldn't tell if he was blushing but he did feel the cheeks under his palms getting a bit warmer—it might have been a feverish reaction to the night chill or the images of the dream still fresh in her memory.

He couldn't think of anything to say as his hands ran through her hair in such a way that wasn't threatening at all—but rather fatherly.

When the conscious mind surfaced with that revelation, it frightened him. Turbo's intense emotions were clashing with what was expected of him.

"I'm thorry." Mumbling it out, "Vanellope,"

She managed to get one whimper out in spite of herself.

"it'll be okay."

Barely having her mouth opened, she whispered, "Two of you."

Glowing pink orbs widened.

"One of you tried to protect me."

Turbo shut his mind down to whatever else she had to say, letting her go as non-conspicuously as he could in a tense moment.

Even as she spoke of it more in detail—life coming back into her hazel eyes—it seemed like gibberish to him, nodding his head at pauses while massaging an aching neck.

After it finally got quiet again, he let out a sigh, "I should get back to my room. Good night lo—Vanellope dear."

His back was nearly facing her when she reached out and held onto the robe. King Candy was lucky to not have gasped in fear or elation, staring blankly at this action.

"Don't.." Fighting herself to say it, biting at her lip, "Just stay here for a bit."

 _I can't stand you._

It would have been easier to just ignore her and leave. But her voice sounded almost desperate. Against all rational thought, the ruler of Sugar Rush turned to face her again.

"I'll stay."

 _Now what?_

Not much could be said anymore. It was extremely awkward for them to be alone together, lest it was precious time taken to lecture the girl or to vent a latent rage. Then she would argue and spit out her own poison, giving both of them headaches for the rest of the day.

But it was the night that had a strange ability to shed the armor fastened onto their hearts. Vulnerable to any stray and genuine emotion.

Against her will, Vanellope let her head fall into her guardian's chest.

 _Who else is there?_

It suggested to him that she wanted to be comforted. He did just that, hand holding onto the shoulder while the other levitated above her head. Unsure about all of this.

Out of the blue was an embrace from her, of all people.

 _Vanellope!_

King Candy returned the rare affection tenfold, letting her rest against his chest, heart beating with a leap before it went steadily in sync with her own.

This was never going to happen again.

Both would live on as if this was nothing but an anomaly.

Turbo knew that this would happen, and it angered him. Silently burning into his core.

 _It—isn't fair!_


End file.
